


Shark Shaped Love

by JackyJango



Series: Cherik Week 2020 [6]
Category: X-Men (Alternate Timeline Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Still Have Powers, Charles Xavier has a Ph.D in Adorable, Charles Xavier is a Sweetheart, Domestic Fluff, Erik Lehnsherr Has Feelings, Family Fluff, First Dates, M/M, Sharks, dadneto, erik's kids are trolls
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-17
Updated: 2020-09-17
Packaged: 2021-03-08 02:59:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,625
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26508598
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JackyJango/pseuds/JackyJango
Summary: Speaking of dates, this isn't what Erik had in mind when he'd asked the twin's elementary teacher out after months spent in each other’s company-- either debating over a chess board or awkwardly trying to flirt. No. He had saved a few week's wages to reserve a table at a fancy restaurant and had promised Kitty a few extra bucks to babysit the kids and take them to the fair. He’d even rented out a suit. But in the end, Kitty had come down with a flu and had cancelled at the last minute. The kids had been too worked up by the idea of going to the fair to listen to his pleas and Charles had been adamant on not wanting to postpone. And so here Erik was, at a fun fair trying to wrangle his children’s whims while fumbling his way with Charles.
Relationships: Erik Lehnsherr/Charles Xavier
Series: Cherik Week 2020 [6]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1927336
Comments: 5
Kudos: 103
Collections: Cherik Week 2020





	Shark Shaped Love

**Author's Note:**

> Written for the Cherik Week Prompt- Day 6: "Family AU"  
> Posted on Tumblr [here](https://jackyjango.tumblr.com/post/628969249297350656/shark-shaped-love)!
> 
> Hope you enjoy reading it! Cheers!

'That one!' Wanda says, tip-toeing to point at a grey soft toy.

'Are you sure?' Erik asks, and she nods her head sagely; just like she had the last two times.

‘Alright.' Erik doesn't really need to use the controller to move the claw and grab the soft toy from the claw machine, but he doesn't need on-lookers accusing him of cheating with his powers. So he pretends to move the controller around, all the while easily moving the metal claw across the glass with his powers and grabbing the grey soft toy.

'Here,' Erik says, picking the toy as it spills into the tray and handing it to Wanda. It's some sort of a fluffy shark with a wide, red mouth trimmed with sharp, white teeth.

Wanda grabs it from his hands with a feral grin. She turns the toy this way and that and her grin turns into an equally feral frown. 'This isn't Nemo,' she says, glaring up at Erik accusingly.

'What?' Erik asks, confused. 'But this is what you asked for.'

'I told you Nemo isn't grey, Wanda.' Peter laughs beside her, and when the thrill of his sister's misfortune fades, he tugs at her hand impatiently-- like he has been for the last ten minutes. 'Come on, let's go look at the cars.'

Still glaring, Wanda shoves the shark into Erik's limp hands with a force unfair from a five-year-old and runs away with her brother to a stall a few feet away from them.

A wave of amusement washes across Erik's mind, and he turns to find Charles barely constraining a chuckle. 

'Are my struggles that amusing?' Erik asks, sighing heavily. 

'Adorable, mostly,' Charles says, smiling.

Now, Erik doesn't duck his head to hide the flush that takes over his face. He absolutely doesn't. He ducks his head to stare at the damn shark. The offending shark stares back at him, mouth open widely in a silly grin.

'Right,' Erik says, clearing his suddenly dry throat. He moves to dump the damned shark in a large metal bin which is already full to the brim with discarded toys when Charles' hand darts forward to clutch at his arm so quickly that it leaves Erik reeling in place.

'No!' Charles says, urgently. 'Don't throw it away.' He must have sensed Erik's surprise and confusion, for he soon recovers and says hopefully, 'I'd like to keep it If you don't mind.’

_ What for? _ Erik wants to ask, but hey, if Charles wants a shabby shark soft toy, then Erik will bloody well make sure that Charles has a shabby shark soft toy.

'Thank you.' Charles lets out a relieved sigh and hugs the toy close to his chest when Erik hands it over to him. Erik tries not to feel jealous of a damned soft toy. He tries, he really does-- because this is just their first date, after all-- and fails miserably.

Speaking of dates, this isn't what Erik had in mind when he'd asked the twin's elementary teacher out after months spent in each other’s company-- either debating over a chess board or awkwardly trying to flirt. No. He had saved a few week's wages to reserve a table at a fancy restaurant and had promised Kitty a few extra bucks to babysit the kids and take them to the fair. He’d even rented out a suit. But in the end, Kitty had come down with a flu and had cancelled at the last minute. The kids had been too worked up by the idea of going to the fair to listen to his pleas and Charles had been adamant on not wanting to postpone. And so here Erik was, at a fun fair trying to wrangle his children’s whims while fumbling his way with Charles. 

'I'm sorry if this isn't what you had in mind when I asked you out,' Erik says as they make their way to the stall the twins are jumping in front of.

'Oh, no!' Charles smiles brightly, eyes twinkling under the flashy LED lights strung around. 'This is wonderful, Erik.' His smile turns nostalgic and his eyes fond. 'Raven and I had always wanted to go to the fair when we were kids, but alas-' he huffs out a laugh, 'mother thought that it was below us. I-'

'VatiVatiVati,' Peter zooms towards them without warning, cutting Charles short. 'I want that car. Can I have that car?' he asks, pointing at a set of toy cars put out on display. 'CanICanICanI-'

'Fine,' Erik concedes before Peter’s words dissolve into a high speed rant. 'You can have them.'

'I want the silver one and Wanda wants the red one!' 

Erik sighs and lets himself be dragged towards the payment desk.

The night deepens and the wind picks up speed as they make their way through a few stalls and games, Charles and Erik content to stay back and keep an eye on the twins as they run around.

Charles begins worming his way to Erik's side subtly, and taking the hint, Erik risks looping an arm around Charles' shoulder, hesitant at first and then boldly when Charles smiles contentedly.

Ever perceptive, Wanda swirls on her heel and asks with a paint peeling scowl, 'Vati, why are you holding Mr.Charles?'

Erik takes a minute to curse at the nosiness of five-year-olds while Charles crouches down to her level and tells her gently that ' _ Mr. Charles was feeling cold and Vati was only warming him up _ .'

Mercifully, she takes his answer without further comment and gets distracted by the prospect of ice cream.

'No. Absolutely no,' Erik says as they stop by a cotton candy stall and the kids turn to him with twin pouts and a litany of 'please Vati's. Because the cheap cotton candy is nothing but sugar and the kids'll get high on a sugar rush by the time they get home and refuse to fall asleep-- not that Peter needs the excuse of a sugar rush to refuse to fall asleep. But then, Charles turns towards him, lower lip protruded in a pout and says mischievously with wide, blue eyes, ‘Please, Vati’, and Erik's protests die a strangled death.

In his branded slacks, expensive shirt and fine-wool cardigan, Charles looks out of place in a small town fair crowded by steel mill workers like Erik. Hell, he looks out of place with Erik himself, who's dressed in a worn plaid shirt, tattered jeans, unkempt hair and shabby beard. But then he looks at Charles, who's laughing brightly with his kids or playing with them or throwing popcorn at each other or beaming warmly when Erik buys them a ghastly looking pink cotton candy that Erik realises that Charles is exactly where he should be. By his side.

Still clutching the shark under one arm, Charles tears a bit of his candy and offers it to Erik. Though he should, Erik doesn't refuse and eats it from Charles' fingers.

Despite all the sugar they'd consumed, the exhaustion of running around wins and the kids begin to fall asleep eventually. Calling it a night, Erik picks up Wanda's sleeping form while Charles picks Peter up, and make their way towards the car.

Erik tucks Wanda in the back seat while Charles gets into the passenger seat with Peter. The tattered engine of his car rattles in protest as Erik starts it, startling Peter out of his sleep.

Charles pulls a confused Peter to his chest, tucks his silver head below his chin and murmurs softly until he goes back to sleep. Erik's heart constricts a little at the sight, and he suppresses the urge to smoothen a hand down his chest.

The drive to Charles' place doesn't take more than fifteen minutes, and all through it, his mother's voice whispers inside Erik’s head,  _ I don't want you to be alone, Erik _ . 

A trepidation flares in Erik's chest as he walks Charles from the car to his front door.

Erik hasn't done this in more than seven years-- There were very few before Magda and no one after her. He doesn't know how to dress for a date, how to compliment his partner or what he should be doing apart from being his stoic self. What if Erik had somehow managed to sabotage the date? What if he had scared Charles away? What if Charles doesn't want to see him again? These questions repeat on a loop in his mind like a broken record. He must have projected some of it, or Charles must have caught it either way because Charles smiles softly at him as they stop at his door and says, 'Thank you, Erik. I had a lovely night.'

'Charles, I was wondering if you'd like to try dinner some-' 

Erik doesn't get to complete his sentence as Charles closes the distance between them to press a firm kiss against his lips-- a kiss that tastes sickly sweet like cotton candy-- and whispers, 'Yes. I'd like that very much, Erik. I'd like that very much.'

Later that night as Erik gets ready to go to bed, he sends Charles a message wondering why he wanted the shark soft toy.

_ Well _ , comes Charles' reply, ever polite,  _ I can't go to bed alone. Or without cuddles. Terrible habit, you see. _

The message is accompanied by a selfie of Charles lying in bed in a striped pajama top, hair tousled and smile warm, clutching the shark to his chest.

_ And this shark reminds me of you. _

Erik's heart constricts in his chest once again, and this time, he smooths a hand down it to ease the pain.

'I'm not alone, Mama' Erik whispers to the ceiling, wondering if she's listening. 'And neither is this family.'

-

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading!  
> Also on Tumblr as [JackyJango](https://jackyjango.tumblr.com/)!


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